1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an apparatus for supporting fingers that have been injured. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a finger support system that stabilizes the injured finger or fingers while allowing the fingers to maintain a spread, normal healthy position.
2. Description of Related Art
Hand and finger injuries in various sports are very prevalent and occur with frequency for many participants. Depending on the seriousness of the injured finger and the pain threshold of the player, many times the player can continue participation in the sport with some type of support for the injured finger. Often times, treatment requires that the affected finger or fingers be immobilized with a splint or taped to an adjacent, uninjured finger.
Prior art splints include straight flat wooden or metal sticks or curved metal designed to fit more closely to the finger that are bound to the injured fingers. These types of splints do not allow a finger to be positioned in any particular manner other than merely holding the finger straight.
In many cases, the suggested method for providing support in the case of the jammed or sprained finger is to tape the injured finger to one of the adjoining fingers. In some circles, this is referred to as “buddy taping” the finger where the injured finger is “buddy taped” to a healthy finger that is next to it. Buddy taped fingers allow the injured finger to be supported by the healthy finger to reduce pain when playing and prevent re-injury. Fingers that have been jammed or sprained are weaker and more susceptible to re-injury during play. Buddy taping allows the player to continue to play with the injured finger with less pain, more confidence and a reduced chance of further injury. The disadvantage to buddy taping is that fingers that are taped together are no longer able to spread apart to the normal, healthy position.
For playing sports, particularly at a high level like high school varsity, college or professional levels, this can be a significant change in the shape of the hand, thus handicapping the player to a certain degree. The player can still play the sport with the buddy taped finger; however, may not have the peak performance they are accustomed to. The reason is that the shape of the hand and position of the fingers has changed from the position that they have been accustomed to playing and practicing their sport. Buddy taping the pinky finger to the ring finger reduces the shape of the hand with the fingers spread by as much as 16%. The solution is to provide the same or better support for the injured finger while enabling the fingers and the hand to function in its normal “fingers spread” position.